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House Majority Leader Fundraising Letter Calls Unions Unpatriotic

February 10, 2003

Continuing the "Big Lie" that some Republican candidates used against labor and labor-supported politicians in 2002, Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), the second-highest ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives, sought to raise money by denouncing the patriotism of union leaders and union members.

The comments were circulated in a fundraising letter for the National Right to Work Foundation. The foundation is an arm of the National Right to Work Committee, an organization that, under the guise of individual rights, seeks to undermine unions by opposing meaningful organizing and representation rights to workers.

The six-page diatribe, sent on DeLays letterhead as House majority leader, outlines a litany of mischaracterizations that insult and question the patriotism of anyone who belongs to a union. Among many other things, the letter issues blanket accusations against labor leaders for attempts to "expand their power at the expense of our homeland security and our troops overseas."

It names International Association of Firefighters President Harold Shaitberger by name, despite the fact 343 firefighters died at the World Trade Center while doing their jobs. Twenty-one IBEW members also lost their lives as a result of the September 11 attacks.

"How dare you question the patriotism of the nation's firefighters and their elected union leaders," Schaitberger wrote in a letter to DeLay, "all of whom have crawled down a burning hallway, faced uncontrolled flames and risked their lives countless times for the citizens of our great nation?" The Firefighter president concluded his response to Rep. DeLay by saying: "Frankly, it was deceitful and insulting for you who chose to battle water bugs and cockroaches during the Vietnam War instead of serving the nation in some useful capacity to now cloak yourself in patriotism and flag-waving." According to DeLays biographical information in the 2002 Almanac of American Politics, he did not serve in the military and owned a pest control firm from 1973-84.

Since the letter has attracted negative attention, DeLay has sought to distance himself from the January 8 missive, although the signed letter went out on his letterhead.

"How can we talk about meaningful bipartisan cooperation to move our country forward when the number two ranking leader in the House essentially calls union members traitors? This goes beyond all common decency, and is a gross insult to all IBEW members, past and present who have worn or wear the uniform of their country," said IBEW International President Ed Hill. "Perhaps we should introduce him to our brave members who are serving in the Middle East right now."

Click here to read the DeLay letter in its entirety.

For a report on the real patriotism of these and other
IBEW members, click on the photo.

Serving Their Country... December 2002 Journal

Entire Tom Delay Fundraising Letter...
(PDF format)

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